


I'll Never Break Your Heart

by krazikrys



Category: Backstreet Boys
Genre: F/M, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-03-08 06:42:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18889252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krazikrys/pseuds/krazikrys
Summary: Brian answers a call from a telemarketer at his family's home in Kentucky. This starts the whirlwind of a relationship between him and an aspiring radio DJ. Only Brian's past comes back to haunt them both.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Millennium-Era (2000) fic. It is a rewrite of my very first fanfiction EVER!
> 
> Don't know them. Never met them. But this is where my love for them started, nearly 20 years ago!

## Chapter One

Brian Littrell jumped down the stairs two at a time and ran for the living room. He was finally alone in his parents’ house. He leaped over the back of the beige couch and landed on his back. His bare feet hung over one of the arms of the sofa while his head rested on the opposite arm. He cautiously straightened his blue University of Kentucky baseball jersey and reached for the remote control behind his head. He flipped on the television and surfed through the channels until he found one with a game on it. It was a baseball game, but at least it was sports.

He was so glad to finally have the house to himself. He had been home for about three days now and all his parents had done was dote on him, even his dad. It had taken a lot of convincing to get them out of the house this Saturday morning. But he just wanted some alone time. He missed his family dearly out on the road, but after having spent the past seventy-two hours straight with them, he couldn’t handle it anymore. He told them they would go out to dinner that night and he would go to church with them tomorrow morning if they would just leave him alone long enough to watch the game.

Just as he had settled down and gotten comfortable, the phone rang. Brian thought he heard it behind him, but when he looked, there was no phone there. Jumping off the couch, he ran for the kitchen and fortunately reached the phone before the answering machine could pick up.

“Hello, Littrell residence,” he said a little out of breath.

“Hi, may I speak to Mrs. Jackie Luttrell?” a female voice said on the other end.

Brian rolled his eyes. He really didn’t want to deal with a telemarketer on his sports-watching day. “Did you mean Littrell?”

He heard her pause on the other end. “Uh, yeah. What did I say?”

“You said ‘Luttrell.’ You’re from California right?”

He had obviously shocked her because she didn’t say anything for a while. “Yeah,” the woman replied skeptically. “How did you know that?”

Brian had to laugh. “Everyone from California butchers my last name. I’m used to it.” He gathered himself before continuing. “Anyway, my mom’s not here right now. But I’m her son Brian, how can I help you?”

He was really expecting her to take longer to put it all together if she even knew who he was. It only took her a few seconds before she responded, “Brian Littrell? As in Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys?” She had whispered the last part as if she didn’t want anyone to know whom she was talking to.

Brian smiled to himself as he lowered himself back onto the couch and flipped off the television. He loved having a cordless phone in the house. “Yeah, that’s right.”

The woman scoffed at him. She couldn’t have been too old. “You’re kidding me. There’s no way that you are Brian Littrell.”

Brian had to laugh now. She had been the one to put the two names together. “Well, you know who I am, even if you don’t believe it, but I still don’t know who you are.”

This brought her back to reality for a moment. “My name’s Becca. I’m calling from the Chico State Calling Center. Apparently, your mom has been giving us donations over the past couple of years.”

Now it was Brian’s turn to be shocked. He had no idea his mother had an affiliation with a university in California. Sure, the family had given to the University of Kentucky on various occasions, but there was no connection in his memory of a school in California. “So you’ve got to have something there with my mom’s address and phone number on it.”

She paused. “1483 Radcliff Road?”

Brian actually had to think about it a little bit before he answered. “Yeah, that’s it.”

“And this is Lexington, Kentucky that I called, right?”

Brian really wanted to laugh, but he held it together. “Yeah, it is.”

“So when would be a good time to get a hold of Mrs. Littrell?”

Brian paused for a while. He had to think about his mother’s schedule. Mondays and Tuesdays were Bible study nights with various church groups. Wednesdays were usually an okay day because it was choir practice until nine. “Um, Wednesday at nine would be okay.”

“We don’t usually call that late.”

Shaking his head as if she could see him, he replied, “Don’t worry, she’ll be up.” He stared off into space for a moment, contemplating his next move. “So what can I do to prove it to you that I _am_ Brian Littrell?”

Scoffing, the telemarketer replied, “Come find me.”

He knew she was joking and being sarcastic, but he couldn’t help himself. “I just might. Well, have a blessed day, Becca.”

“Uh, you too...Brian.” He let her hang up first then plopped back down on the couch. It was the strangest thing. When he gave fans his phone number and they called him, they were always so shocked they got him that they spent the entire time either screaming or not talking, or what was even weirder about that was when they would just hang up, like they had gotten the wrong number or it was a prank call. But when fans found his number by accident, they never seemed to believe him when he told them who he was.

 

Becca Carlson slid the phone back up on to the cradle and whipped her headset off her head and dropped them around her neck. “Oooohhhh,” she squealed in anger. “What’s the matter Becca?” a tall man said, sitting down beside her in a chair.

“Some people are just mean, Geoff.”

“What? A refusal?”

Becca shook her head. “No. Call back. But he said he was Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys.”

Geoff smiled. “Well, we have called celebrities before.”

Becca scoffed. “Like who?”

“Ever heard of Dave Diamond?”

Becca thought for a moment. “Yeah, radio jock in Sacramento. Big deal.”

Sighing, Geoff replied, “Well, don’t let it get to you.”

Becca stared at the ceiling for a moment. It was about twelve feet above her head, arching upward. She was in the dome of the administration building on the university campus. Yeah, it was kind of cool to be up there, but there were too many stairs on some days. Not to mention if there was a fire in their stairwell they’d have to jump out of a three-story window, but then, they’d have to get to it. Becca didn’t like to think about the possibilities of that. So instead, she looked back at the call sheet in front of her. She stared hard at the name and number on it. Then she turned the sheet over and looked at it. Yeah, it hadn’t been called on before, just marked that it was “plus three” meaning it was three hours ahead of them. She wrote in the first note box what had happened. “Spoke to son. Said Wednesday night was good.” She then wrote that she wanted it back. It was more to just make sure that this woman really was Brian’s mother and that Brian really was who he said he was. She highly doubted that he would come and find her in California, even if he was a Backstreet Boy. Becca looked at her next call sheet and slid her headset back up over her ears. Adjusting the mouthpiece, she then tipped the phone out of the cradle and started dialing.

 

The following afternoon, Brian was pacing around his room. It was about three o’clock local time. The problem with Sundays was church. Not that it was a problem getting up and going. He actually enjoyed going. It was the fact that his parents were so involved in the church that sometimes they didn’t get home until way after service had ended. Today was like that. Service had ended around noon and then Brian had been forced out of good manners to stay and talk with the pastors. He had just gotten back to the house about twenty minutes ago. He had already spoken to Kevin, Nick, and Alex. His last resort was Howie. If Howie said “No” then he was off to the Golden State by himself.

He had already looked up where Chico State was last night. The closest thing he could find was a California State University in Chico, California. Then he had looked up Chico. It was about an hour and a half driving time north of the state capital of Sacramento. He sure hoped he was right. The closest airport that he could fly into was Sacramento International. He was looking at staying at least a week, being on or about the fourteenth of May he was needed in the Bahamas for recording. The only first-class flights he could find were either on Delta or American. And either way, it was going to cost him a pretty penny. Not to mention the fact that the earliest flight out there he could get was not for another week. And then he would have to fly from there to the Bahamas on the fourteenth. That meant connections in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Miami. And he would need his passport that he had left back in Orlando. This was starting to look like a really bad idea.

Brian had already tossed his jacket on his bed and was in the process of loosening up his tie as he stared at his cell phone. All his other bandmates had turned him down. Slowly he scrolled through his contacts until he found Howie’s cell number. He hit send and waited. He tossed his blue tie on top of his gray jacket.

“Kevin told me you would call and Alex already filled me in. I guess Nick turned you down, huh?” Howie said, answering his cell phone without even a hello.

“How did you know it was me and not your mother?” Brian asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“Caller ID, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” Brian sighed. He started to unbutton the white dress shirt he was wearing as Howie continued.

“What? Four days at home and you already forget the modern conveniences of life?”

“No. I just forget who has what features. And plus we had all our numbers blocked.” Brian let his shirt fall open, revealing the white tank top beneath.

“Except from each other,” Howie added. He could hear Brian’s accent starting to come through. They were going to have an interesting time recording in two weeks.

“So you know why I’m calling then?” Brian asked.

“Alex said it was something about a girl.”

Brian blushed. “You could say that.” He flopped back onto his bed. “She’s a fan, Howie.”

Howie shook his head as he answered, “Oh no. We are _not_ going that route.”

“Aw, come on, Howie,” Brian pleaded.

“Brian, you know what happens when we interact with fans.”

Brian rolled over onto his stomach. “Don’t lecture me about fans. Besides, you owe me one.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do. Remember your last girlfriend?”

Groaning, Howie replied, “Don’t remind me.”

“Hey, it wasn’t my fault she was a bitch. But I went out on a limb for you.”

“So?”

“So come with me to California.”

“She’s in California?”

“Yeah.” Brian could sense something coming.

“She’s outta your league.”

Brian scoffed. “How do you know that?”

“What’s a California girl gonna want with a hick like you?”

Brian could tell that Howie was teasing him, but it still got on his nerves. “You’re coming out there with me. Your ticket is already paid for. Bring your passport. We’re leaving from there to the Bahamas.”

Howie was stunned at Brian’s boldness. He must have something for this girl. “So, did you meet her at a concert or something?” Howie probed. If he was stuck going out to California with Brian, he had better find out more about the situation. Though, he figured Brian was bluffing about his ticket being already bought.

“No, she called me.”

Howie laughed to himself. “She called you? Like what? On accident?”

“No, it was intentional. I guess my Mom gives to her university.”

“And you’ve never met her?”

“No.”

“But you’re going to fly out to California after only having talked to her once?”

“Yeah.” Brian didn’t quite get where this was going.

“Brian, that’s stalker-ish.”

“What are you saying, Howie?”

Howie took a deep breath. He couldn’t believe Brian wasn’t catching on to this. “Brian, this is something our fans do. Fly across the country to meet one of us. Do you realize how dangerous this is? And what if she really is a fan?”

“James and Paul will come.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sure I’m sure. They’re not going to let us fly out there by ourselves.”

Howie laughed. Brian was right. Their bodyguards wouldn’t let them go anywhere alone. “They might after they hear your crazy idea.”

“Whatever. You’re coming.” Brian took a breath. “Oh, and could you stop by my house and pick up my passport?”


	2. Chapter 2

## Chapter Two

Becca had all but forgotten the phone call a week later. She only worked at the Calling Center on Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays, her only days off from her radio station internship. Interning for a radio station put her at a disadvantage. Sure, most people thought it was a huge advantage. She got into the coolest parties for free if the station was broadcasting there, even though she was underage. She was also working for the hottest radio station in the area: Colors 92.7. They played the songs currently sitting on top of the Billboard charts. The reason it was a disadvantage was that she actually had to miss out on a lot of normal things people her age were doing. Yeah, she was only twenty years old and a senior in college, getting ready to graduate in a few weeks. But she also had to miss out on some of the graduation parties and get-togethers so she could work.

She never looked at it as work though. She was having a good time getting to go out and set up the system at “remote” locations. Sometimes, she even got to man the remote. Actually, more often than not, she was the one the DJ’s in the studio was “checking in with.” She loved it when one of the DJ’s would throw to her and let her talk. If it was Eric, well, he would just check in with her. But if it was Boomer, well, he would actually let her introduce some songs or talk a little bit more than just say what was going on.

Today, she was out at Chico State. She wasn’t exactly in between classes. She’d already finished everything for the day. That was one of the perks of being a morning person. She was taking eighteen units, which was six classes, but almost all of them were in the morning. Today was Monday, so all her classes were fifty minutes long. She started at eight and went until noon, which was four classes in a row. Fortunately for her, they were all near each other. Now it was about one o’clock in the afternoon. One of her fellow interns had brought over all the equipment and had helped her set up. They had to be up and running by one, and thankfully, they were. They had hung the Colors 92.7 banner behind them on the poles suspending the canopy. Having very few locations on the campus that they could be seen and yet not be taking up too much room, they chose a grassy spot off the Free Speech area. It was actually right behind it. It was the favorite broadcasting spot of the interns if they had to broadcast on campus. They could see the new bookstore and nearly _everyone_ had to walk by. Well, not the teachers or their fellow broadcasters or those in social sciences or the dorm-rats, but almost everyone came up to the bookstore at one point, even those poor souls who lived in the dorms.

Becca liked this spot in particular because she could see people coming and going. She knew once she got locked in a booth and was broadcasting full time, she was hardly going to see the light of day. The other intern, David, was kicking back in a folding chair underneath the white canopy. He had a book open and was studying for an upcoming final. Becca didn’t need to worry about exams or much of anything having do with memorizing. She was a certified genius, though she didn’t like to brag. She also had an eidetic memory. Fortunately for her, none of her friends knew she was a genius. She didn’t go spouting off facts about random things unless it was on the radio and didn’t flaunt the fact that she read a whole lot. She managed to hide it well, studying to be a radio broadcaster at a state school. Not that her parents liked that too much. They felt she was wasting her intelligence. At least they hadn’t disowned her…yet.

While David has his nose buried in a book, Becca was flipping through the pages of the playlist in front her, trying to decipher where they were on the page. Blaring from the speakers nearby her head was “I Try” by Macy Gray. Becca couldn’t stand Macy Gray’s voice. It just grated on her nerves. It sounded like she had a frog in her throat. Finding the song on the page, she skimmed down. There was going to be a cut to them at the end of the next song, which happened to be another least favorite of Becca’s, “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas. And she was going to lead right into commercial. After the commercial, the station was playing the most recent Backstreet Boys song “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.” She was actually surprised that Colors was going to play it. It wasn’t like it was that popular. But the Backstreet Boys, however, were the hottest band in the land at the moment. They had just finished their worldwide “Into the Millennium” tour and appeared on VH1’s “Men Strike Back.” 

Just as Macy Gray quit croaking and “Smooth” started up, Becca glimpsed her friend Jen come around the corner. She was coming from the library on Becca’s right. Actually, it looked like she was coming from the Financial Aide part of the building, but Becca knew better. Jen had been hanging on the fourth floor of the library again.

Out of the corner of Becca’s eye, on her left side, she saw four guys coming her way. Two of them were huge black guys with muscles bigger than the bouncers at the bars. Their shirts were stretched taut against their chests. If Becca hadn’t seen plenty of guys like that, she would have been scared. With them were two guys who looked totally out of place with them. They were skinny. Well, not skinny like freshmen skinny, but compared to the two black guys, they were small. They weren’t exactly skinny either, now that they were walking closer. Both smaller guys looked like they worked out, but they definitely weren’t bouncers. One was Hispanic with long dark hair in a ponytail. He was in khaki pants and a button down short sleeve shirt. The other man was a blonde with short hair. He at least looked like he wasn’t off to see a professor about a grade. He was in blue jeans and a tee shirt.

Becca was so busy staring she nearly missed the end of the second song in a row she hated. Luckily she had her headphones on and was half listening to them. She heard Boomer say something to the effect of, “Let’s check in with our intern out at Chico State.”

Becca shook herself, picked up the microphone and said, “Thanks, Boomer. This is Backstreet Becca out here live at Chico State. We’re near the brand new AS Bookstore hanging in the shade. You can’t miss us. Come on by and say hi. Coming up after the break we have my favorite group of all time, Backstreet Boys! So stay tuned in to the station that plays all the hits…”

Before she could finish the sentence, Jen walked up and groaned loudly. “Why does it have to be that group? Why can’t it be *NSYNC?”

Becca turned slowly to face her friend. “Well, as a matter of fact,” Becca replied, “you know I can’t play one group without playing the other.”

“So why can’t it be next?” Jen said.  
“Because I don’t make the playlist,” Becca answered. “So after the break, it’s the Backstreet Boys, followed closely by their rivals *NSYNC. You’re listening to the station that plays all today’s hits, Colors 92.7.” Becca turned the microphone off and listened as the station cut to commercial. She then heard Boomer say in her ear, “Keep Jen nearby. You two are a riot!” Becca rolled her eyes and lowered herself into a chair. Sliding her headphones down her head, she said to her friend, “Boomer says you should stick around.”  
Jen readjusted the blue backpack on her back. It looked super heavy to Becca and it probably was. Jen was like one of those burrows you take down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. You could load her down with stuff, and she’d _still_ be able to carry it all! Becca watched as Jen rolled her eyes and pulled a chair out from behind the table. She hefted the backpack off her back and plopped it down on the ground next to the chair. She then sat down. Jen was a natural blonde and was kind of heavy set. At least, that’s what Becca thought. If you asked Jen, she would say that Becca was too skinny. Becca was five-feet tall and barely weighed a hundred pounds. Becca propped her head up on her hand and watched as the four men walked up to the table.

The blonde one looked at her with piercing blue eyes. “Backstreet Becca, huh?” he asked with a slow Southern drawl.

“Yeah, who’s asking?” Becca replied. That was the problem with being on the radio. Everyone thought they knew you when they really didn’t.

“Brian,” he replied. “We spoke on the phone not too long ago.”

Becca scoffed. Beside her, Jen pulled out a textbook. “I haven’t spoken to any Brians lately.”

“You were calling my mom for a donation.”

Realization hit Becca slowly. She shook her head. “You can’t be _that_ Brain.”

“Why can’t I be?” the man asked.

Becca had to admit, he did look like the man she had plastered all over her bedroom. “There’s no way!” Becca replied. She lowered her voice just above a whisper, “Brian Littrell would not come and find me.” She stared at him for a moment. “You’re not really him.”

Brian smiled. Here she was, denying it, again. “Yeah, I am. Ask me anything.”

“When and where were you born?” Becca asked.

Brian laughed slightly. “February twentieth, nineteen seventy-five at one thirty-seven in the morning at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.”  
Becca stared at him, almost accusingly. Anyone could have known that one. “Shoe size?”

Shaking his head, Brian answered, “Ten and a half.”

Before Becca could ask the next question, Jen asked without lifting her head from her book, “Is your blood type really B positive?”

Brian nodded and Becca gaped. Not only was she surprised that Jen was actually following the conversation with her nose in a book, but she was also staring up at her favorite celebrity of all time, well at least at the moment.

“So, how did you know it was me?” Becca relaxed a little, but she was still a little wary of this guy.

Brian smiled and leaned up against the table. “I recognized your voice.”

Howie rolled his eyes. Brian didn’t really recognize her voice. He was the worst for picking out when one of the guys was off or flat. They usually left that up to Kevin. Brian was just taking a lucky guess. When he had heard the name “Backstreet Becca” his ears had perked up, almost literally. He had elbowed Howie in the side a little too roughly and whispered, “Do you think that’s her?”

Howie had replied, “I wouldn’t know. I wasn’t the one who spoke with her.” Howie still thought this was an incredibly bad idea. And it was usually Nick who came up with those type of ideas. He was actually really surprised over Brian’s erratic behavior, especially as of late. It was like since he ditched the witch, Leighanne, back in December he had become a huge risk taker. The old Brian never would have flown two thousand miles for some girl he had just spoken to on the phone, let alone a fan. But now, here was a liberated Brian, free from his old girlfriend, free from the obligations of being a Backstreet Boy, at least for another week.

Howie knew that if he didn’t do something quickly, Brian would stay there forever and talk to her. He really didn’t want to do that. He just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep. He had spent most of the day on a plane already and he was horribly jet lagged. He thought he would have been used to changing time zones, but he never entirely got used to it. He had left Orlando around six. Brian had paid for his ticket, but it hadn’t already been paid for when he had called. Howie knew he was bluffing. He just knew better than to call Brian on it. Brian sometimes had a temper, especially if he was getting desperate. He had spent about eight and a half hours on the flight from Orlando to Sacramento with a two-hour layover in Atlanta. Their flight was actually on time and he got here in Sacramento at eleven forty-five. Surprisingly, Brian was on the same flight from Atlanta. Howie never understood that. Why fly from Lexington, Kentucky to Atlanta, Georgia to go the opposite direction to California. But they had gotten off the flight together with their two bodyguards and waited for their luggage. After that, they had gotten a rental car with unlimited mileage and headed north to Chico. They hadn’t even gotten to the hotel to check in before they found the university campus. Howie really wanted a nap. Leaving at six and getting there “five” hours later really worked his internal clock over. He looked at his watch. It read four-twenty-eight in the afternoon. He did a quick calculation and reminded himself to switch to his “West Coast” watch. Thankfully he had remembered to bring it. That was one of the perks of having money. He had a watch set for each of the time zones and all the watches matched. He even had them labeled on the back of the face so that he wouldn’t get them confused.

Howie stepped back and watched Brian. He stood between James and Paul. Paul was on edge, but then again, he had a right to be. He was Brian’s personal bodyguard and had not been too thrilled when approached with the idea of flying to California after some fan. They had just sold out the Georgia Dome, not once, but twice in the past year. That was over seventy thousand people in permanent seats. That wasn’t counting all the floor seats and they had played in the round so all available permanent seats were taken.  
After about twenty minutes, Paul had finally stepped up and whispered in Brian’s ear. Howie didn’t know what it was, but he had an idea. It was probably along the lines of, “We need to go check into the hotel, Brian.”

Brian had then told Becca that he had to leave. He then gave her a small piece of paper. Howie leaned over and whispered to James, “He’s crazy. He just gave her his cell number.”

James leaned back over and whispered back to Howie, “We’ll get him to change it when we get back to Florida after the Bahamas.”

“Yeah, right,” Howie replied. “He’ll put a forward on it, you know that.”

 

Becca sat in a corner of the coffee shop in downtown Chico. She had her nose buried in a book. It was a textbook. Contrary to what everyone thought, she _did_ have to study sometimes. She was just rereading for her final. Not that she really needed to, but she enjoyed some of what the author had to say. She had a capped yellow highlighter behind her ear, a pencil in her teeth and a notebook in her lap. She twirled an errant strand of dark hair while she read. Sometimes she stopped and highlighted a word or phrase. At other random intervals, she removed the pencil from her mouth and jotted some note down in the notebook of tattered pages. The notes were all from one class, the one from the book she was reading. Yeah, most people only took a few notes on the lecture, but she wrote practically every word down. And then paired her notes from the lecture with what the book said. After just one semester, the once new one hundred and eighty-page notebook looked like it had been used for the past three years. When in reality it had been bought at the end of January in preparation for the coming semester. Becca had about forty notebooks that all looked similar and just as ratty.

Becca looked up as a group entered the coffee shop. They looked familiar. But right behind them came Jen, this time by herself. Unfortunately, Becca couldn’t see Jen because of the bulk of a couple of the guys. Becca immediately picked up on who the quartet was: it was the same four guys from the previous day. Becca smiled, just as Jen pushed her way in between the group.

“I’m gonna kill Brian and Howie!” Jen grunted.

“Why?” Becca asked. She caught a glimpse of two of the men wince, while the other two tensed up.

“One line! One freaking line!”

Becca looked at her, puzzled. “What are you talking about?”

“’And there is never a day that passes by I don’t think of you.’ Of course, now I remember it!” Jen grumpily plopped down in a chair across from Becca, dropping her twenty-pound book bag on the floor next to her. “You honestly don’t remember?” she asked, seeing Becca’s perplexed look. “My humanities extra credit? I was going to recite a poem, remember?” Slowly, Becca nodded. “You were the one that convinced me to do ‘The Perfect Fan.’ I knew I should have done ‘This I Promise You.’”

“And you want to kill Brian and Howie?” Becca raised an eyebrow and placed her pencil in the gutter of her book.

“Well, yeah,” Jen replied. “Brian wrote it and it was Howie’s freaking line!”

“Oh.” Becca picked her pencil back up, placed it in between her teeth and went back to her reading.

“Aren’t you going to ask me how I did?” Jen asked, reaching down to unzip her backpack.

Becca sighed and removed the pencil again. “Alright, how did you do?”

“Well, I got the extra credit. That should bring my grade up to a solid B now. Assuming I pass the final.”

Becca shook her head slightly. “You’ll pass.”

“Yeah, this coming from Miss I-Don’t-Have-to-Study-to-Pass.”

“Hey, what does it look like I’m doing here? Reading about American radio and television for the fun of it?”

Jen shrugged. “Why wouldn’t you? Don’t you get to learn all about TV and radio?”

Becca rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but it’s not as fun as taking ‘Ethics through Star Trek’.”

“They’re offering that?” Jen’s face lit up.

Becca shook her head. “Only if you go to college in England.”

“That’s it, I’m transferring!”

Becca laughed. “Um, hello, we have two weeks until finals and three weeks until graduation.”

Now it was Jen’s turn to laugh and roll her eyes. “I’m teasing, Becca.”

“I know.”

Just then, the four men walked up. “Hey Becca,” Brian said softly.

Becca smiled, just as Jen turned around and replied, “What are you doing, stalking us?”

Before anyone could say anything else, Howie said, “Yeah, kinda.”

Brian turned towards Howie and said, “No, we’re not.”

“We are too,” Howie shot back.

“Well, it was your idea to follow the blonde.”

Becca looked at Jen and shook her head. Jen was shocked at the comment that Howie had wanted to follow her. No guy had ever taken an interest in Jen.

Brian turned away from Howie and pulled up a chair and turned it backward. “So what ‘cha studying?” he asked, sitting down uninvited. He folded his arms on top of the back of the chair.

Becca didn’t mind, Jen could tell. Jen slid her chair back away from the table and watched.

“American radio and television,” Becca replied coolly.

“What’s so hard about that?” Brian asked.

Jen laughed to herself and watched as Howie and the two bodyguard guys sat down at a nearby table. She pushed her bag over to them and joined them. She knew it was going to be interesting watching Becca flirt with a celebrity, or a celebrity flirt with a college girl, whichever it was going to be.

“Plenty,” Becca replied to Brian’s question. “We’ve been going over how television has advanced way more than radio.”

Brian tilted his head. “How do you mean?”

“Well, not technology wise, because within another couple years or so and all radio stations will be entirely digital and that will be way sooner than all television programs are broadcast in high-definition. That’s just thanks to the digital age. Some stations are already digital and that’s nice. No more eight-tracks. But when you look at content wise, television has radio beat!” Becca reached over and grabbed her cup of coffee and took a sip before launching into the details of her viewpoint. “Look at TV shows. If you go back to the fifties and sixties, married couples were sleeping in separate beds. How they had kids, one could only guess. Then ‘The Brady Bunch’ blew that up and put Mike and Carol Brady in the same bed. Not to mention the whole sexual revolution. Now you have soap operas and nightly television shows where unmarried people are sleeping together and you’re practically watching it the whole act occur. Then look at radio. In the sixties you had the Beatles, the eighties had New Kids on the Block, and the nineties had Backstreet and *NSYNC. It’s cyclical.”

“But what about different parts of the country?” Brian asked.

“Well, yeah, each region is going to have its own taste in popular music, but on a whole, if you listened to the Top 40 stations, that’s what you’d hear. And then there’s how television influenced radio. There are no radio stars anymore. Pretty soon, the Billboards won’t matter. All that matters is MTV and TRL. I mean, now, it’s all about getting your video to number one on TRL. Who cares about number one on the Billboards anymore. Kinda ironic that MTV’s very first video back on August first, nineteen eighty-one at twelve-fifteen in the morning was ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by The Buggles. I mean, that’s exactly what has happened. Not to mention that that particular video became MTV’s millionth video played on February twenty-seventh of this year.”

Brian nodded. “Really? MTV played its millionth video? They had it planned.”

“Of course they did.”

Behind him, Brian heard Howie say, “He’s flirting.”

“No, he’s not,” Jen replied.

“Okay, maybe not flirting, but he is certainly taking an interest in her.”

Jen looked to her right at him. “How can you tell?”

“He probably knows more about MTV and radio than she does.”

“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Jen replied. “Becca is insanely knowledgeable about radio and music. She doesn’t need the fact sheets in front of her for when a group is going on tour. She’s got it in her brain.”

“Yeah, but he’s just listening because he wants to hear her talk,” Howie replied. He shook his head and looked over at Brian’s back. “It’s in his posture. He’s leaning forward. He doesn’t even do that in interviews.”

“He is?”

“Yeah,” Howie pointed at Brian’s back. “See how he has his arms crossed on the back of the chair and his head is on his arms. He’s interested.”

“I thought he was just comfortable.”

One of the big bodyguards laughed. “Yeah, that too. Howie’s not very good at analyzing people. Don’t trust him.”

“Hey, James. Trust me, I know my bandmates.”

“Uh huh,” the black man smirked.

“Anyway, I wouldn’t be surprised if they sat here and talked all evening.”

Jen nodded. “That would be Becca, for sure.”

“So is she like an aspiring radio DJ or something?” Howie asked.

“How could you tell?”

Howie shrugged his shoulders. “Oh, I don’t know. The radio remote, talking about radio and TV. She’s definitely going into broadcasting.”

“Yeah…” Jen reached down and pulled out a book and plopped it on the table.

“So what about you?”

“Me? Oh. I’m going to be a teacher if they pass me.” Before Howie could say anything, Jen got up and said, “I need to go get something to drink.”

Howie stood up. “Here, let me buy. What do you want?”

Jen was too shocked to say anything, but “A strawberry-banana smoothie.”

“Okay.” Howie walked over to the counter. While he was gone, Jen opened the child psychology textbook and errantly flipped the pages until she came to a chapter that she needed to reread.

Becca was still talking to Brian, and boy was she talking. Sometimes it didn’t look like she was breathing. That must be a broadcasting thing. Becca hated dead air, silence, no noise. It drove her insane. That’s why she always went to a coffee shop or a restaurant to study. Lately, it had been Burger King right up the road. But every so often it was Brooklyn Bridge Bagel Works downtown on West Second. This time it was Has Beans Coffee and Tea Company on Main Street. Becca needed noise like some people needed air. Jen, on the other hand, hated it. She would rather work in the library because it was quiet. Somehow, Jen managed to drown out the sound and immerse herself in the chapter about the pre-teen child. Howie presented her with a pink looking smoothie and she looked up long enough to thank him before diving back into the book.

Becca looked down at her watch and sighed. “I should get going, Brian,” she said. “I need to stop by the Bookstore before they close tonight.”

“Well, let me come with you.”

Shrugging and standing up, she said, “If you want to.” She put the book in her navy blue backpack and zipped it up. She walked by Jen and tapped her on the shoulder. “I’ll see you later. I have to go get a few things from the Bookstore.” Jen nodded and went back to reading.

Brian leaned over to Howie, “I’m going with her.”

“Okay…and I’m getting back to the hotel how?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll drive you,” Jen said, without looking up.

“Does she do that a lot?” Brian asked.

“What? Follow conversations while making you think she’s not paying attention? Yeah. You get used to it.” Becca readjusted the backpack on her back and headed out the door of the coffee shop with Brian on her heels. She hiked up Main Street from Fifth until Second and then took a left. While the pair walked, they continued talking about the music business. Paul gave Brian his space by staying back, but he was on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes guarding a Backstreet Boy was like guarding the President. Becca took a left on Second Street and walked down the street. She stopped at a stoplight on Chestnut. “Did you know that starting with this street, if you were to look at the next five streets, they would spell Chico?”

“Really?” Brian asked.

“Yeah. Chestnut, Hazel, Ivy, Cherry, Orange. C-H-I-C-O. Some little quirk the town designers put in. Learned it back at Freshmen Orientation.”

“Man, you are just full of facts, aren’t you?”

Becca shrugged as the light turned and she crossed the street. “Yeah, well. I can’t help it. I just like remembering things like that.”

“So why don’t you go on Jeopardy or something?”

Becca shook her head. “Too much pressure.” She led Brian around the edge of the building and to the side entrance. “The main entrance will actually be in this building,” Becca gestured to the construction. “But they obviously aren’t done with it yet. The bookstore used to be in the basement of the building now under construction, the Bell Memorial Union or BMU. But we were outgrowing that bookstore too quickly. So now we have this shiny new two story one. All the textbooks and school supplies are on the second level and the first floor is all stuff you would find in a college bookstore: a little food place, a place that sells regular books and a section that sells the college stuff like shirts and Greek letters and all that.” She told him this as she walked into the building and pointed out the various sections.

Brian’s eyes widened as he looked around. “Wow, this is nice,” he commented.

“It better be. I’m paying for it!” Becca walked around a corner in the bookstore and headed back towards the clothing section. Brian was a step behind her and Paul was two steps behind him. There were too many people for Paul’s liking, even this late at night in the store. He liked seclusion, especially when he was watching out for someone.

Brian spotted the small shirts and tank tops. He pulled out a small white one that said “Chico State” on it in red. “You’d look good in this one,” he commented.

Becca tilted her head. “Are you flirting, Brian?”

Brian blushed, caught in the act.

“You really aren’t very good at it, you know? You need to talk to AJ.” Becca laughed.

“I do.” Brian blushed again. Becca smiled at him. “So what did you need to get?”

“Oh, it’s upstairs. I’m almost out of ink in my highlighters.” Brian looked at her strangely. “I know. The semester is almost over and I’m graduating soon, but I use highlighters for everything.”

“Oh, okay.”

Becca headed upstairs and to the pencil and pen aisle to the left of the top of the stairs. To the right were all the books. She picked out two highlighters, a purple and a blue, both thin. She then headed downstairs. Brian followed her and headed to the clothing section again. This time, he picked out a normal shirt for himself. It was white and said “Chico State” on it in red. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Becca headed to one of the cash registers and paid with cash, for it was only two dollars. Then she waited for Brian. He also paid with cash. His total was thirteen dollars and eighty-nine cents. He paid with a twenty and Becca was thankful. Had he paid with a hundred dollar bill, a manager probably would have had to been called over to verify it. If he had paid with a credit card, he would have been asked for identification. Paul was also grateful for the fact that Brian didn’t pay with a credit card. That was the last thing he needed right now was for someone to recognize him.

Becca took her tiny bag with two highlighters in them and headed back out of the building. Once outside, she pulled the two pens out of the bag and put them into her backpack, throwing the bag in a trash can. Brian and the bodyguard followed in silence as Becca wandered over to the park benches under a set of trees nearby. She sat down and watched as Brian and the big guy sat down across from her. Paul turned his back on the pair and watched the people passing by. Thankfully, Brian had his back to most of them.

“So, you obviously know all there is to know about me,” Brian started, “why don’t you tell me about you.”

“Well, I don’t know everything,” she replied. “I still don’t know whether you wear boxers or briefs.” She gave him a shy smile. “There’s really not much to tell about my life. It definitely hasn’t been as exciting as yours.”

“Everyone says that,” he replied. “You’ve gotta have something interesting has happened in your life.”

“Besides meeting you? No. Nothing.”

Brian thought for a moment. “Well, where are you from?”

“Here. Born and raised.”

“Yeah, I figured you were born in California.” Brian sighed. “What about how old you are?”

“Twenty,” Becca said slowly. “I just had my birthday about three weeks ago.”

“Okay, now there’s something,” Brian said. “You’re twenty years old and your graduating college. You’re graduating, what, two years early? How’d you do that?”

Becca smiled. “Well, not two years, just one. I graduated high school a year early.”

“Anything else I should know?”

“I’ve been a fan since nineteen ninety-seven, when ‘Quit Playin’ Games’ was released.”

“That’s a long time.”

Becca nodded. “Well, I do remember when I was about twelve or thirteen hearing something on the radio about Lou Pearlman trying to put together a New Kids on the Block type band. I was really looking forward to that after New Kids on the Block released their single ‘If You Go Away.’ But by then, gangsta rap and grunge had taken over.”

Brian nodded in agreement. “That’s why we went off to Europe.”

“I’ve seen the videos.” Becca traced a knot on the wood of the table top. “I’m glad you did.”

“So are we.”

Brian and Becca talked for a while longer and as it was getting dark, Paul suggested that Brian head back to the hotel.

“Yeah, I’m probably keeping you from studying or something.” Brian stood up and swung his leg over the wooden bench.

Becca shook her head. “No, you’re not. I don’t have to study all that much.”

“But I thought it was the end of the semester?”

Becca looked up into Brian’s blue eyes in the fading light. “It is. There’s not a whole lot left to cover.” She shrugged.

Brian reached his hand out to her. “So come back to the hotel with me.”

Becca was shocked. She hardly knew this guy. Well, actually she knew him better than any guy on campus. But she had just met him. And here he was inviting her back to his hotel room. She hoped that didn’t mean what it meant with the guys here in town. “Uh, I don’t know, Brian.”

“Why not?”

Becca stood up and grabbed her bag. “Aren’t you and Howie sharing a room or something?”

Brian shook his head slightly. “No.”

“Well, I have an eight o’clock class.”

“I’ll get you back in time for it.”

Becca sighed. Her excuses were falling flat. And she couldn’t use the fact that she had a lot of studying to do. She had just told him that she didn’t need to study that much. If she told him no, what would that mean? How do you say no to a celebrity? “All right.”

“Great!” Brain grabbed her elbow and led her down the closed-off street that used to go through campus.

“Where are you parked?”

Brian thought for a minute. He wasn’t quite sure.

“Up the street near Seven-Eleven,” Paul answered. He really needed to have a talk with Brian about his recklessness. It was bad enough he had flown out here because of the voice of some fan. He had then given her his personal cell phone number. And now he was inviting her back to his hotel room. What if this girl told her friends? What if the word got out that a Backstreet Boy was staying in town? Paul had to say something to this girl. And then he had to confront Brian.

The trio reached the parking lot on First Street off of Main. Paul led them to a white four-door Honda Accord. He unlocked the car and Brian actually held the rear door on the passenger side open for Becca. She smiled at him and tossed her backpack on the floor before climbing in. Brian made sure the door was closed before going around and getting in behind Paul.

The pair talked while Paul maneuvered the car down the one-way streets to the hotel. Becca watched out the window sometimes as Paul got on the freeway and headed towards the mall. Brian and Howie were staying at the Oxford Suites by Wal-Mart and across from IHOP. It wasn’t even within walking distance of the campus. Instead, it was miles away. Becca sighed. She would need to wake Brian up to get to campus the next day. Oh well, those were the breaks.

Brian held open the car door for Becca and then led her inside. They took the elevator with Paul up to the third floor. Paul took the lead here and when he found the room number that belonged to Brian, he used a card key to unlock it. Becca looked at Brian strangely. “Paul gets a duplicate key to my room. Safety precaution.”

“Oh.”

Brian held the door open to the modest room. Becca wasn’t surprised to see a single king bed in the room. Brian’s duffle bag was on the ground in the closet. There was a small bathroom off the entrance. It looked like any other standard hotel room Becca had been in during her life.

“I never unpack,” Brian commented off her look at his duffle bag lying there unzipped with clothes hanging out. “I’m never somewhere long enough to actually do it.”

Becca set her backpack down in a chair and then sat down on the edge of the bed. Something about this didn’t sit right with her.

“Howie’s next door to the left and Paul and James are to the right.”

Becca nodded slowly.

“Are you okay?” Brian asked, sitting down beside her.

Her breath caught in her throat. Her head was pounding. Her palms were sweaty. She turned slowly to look at him. He reached up to put a hand on her shoulder, but she moved away from his touch.

“Becca, what’s wrong?”

Becca slowly shook her head. “Nothing,” she whispered. Her voice was unsteady and shaky.

“What are you afraid of?”

Brian was reading her like an open book. Was she really that obvious?

Becca shook herself, trying to shake the eerie feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. “It’s nothing, Brian, really.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing.” His hand reached out to touch her knee, but again she moved away from him.

She felt her stomach lurch and she stood up shakily. As quickly as she dared, she raced for the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She stood there with her back to the door for a moment and waited for the nausea to go away. Fortunately, it did.

She glanced over at herself in the mirror. Slowly she moved over to sink and turned the water on. She splashed her face with cold water and dried herself with a towel. She didn’t feel like she had been in there that long before there was a knock on the bathroom door. “Becca, are you okay?”

“Fine, Brian,” she managed to say. Becca replaced the towel on the rack and took baby steps to the door. She turned the doorknob achingly slow. She inched the door open languidly. Brian was standing right there waiting for her.

“You don’t look okay,” he commented. “You need to come lay down.”

For some strange reason, Becca allowed herself to be led by him over to the bed. He didn’t turn down the sheets, but instead, let her lay right there on top of the comforter. He climbed up next to her but didn’t lie down. Instead, he curled his legs up underneath him and stroked her hair. “What’s going on?” he asked softly.

Becca looked up into his eyes. He looked hurt, though she wasn’t sure why. “It’s nothing, really,” she insisted.

He ran his fingers through her shoulder-length dark tresses. “It can’t be ‘nothing’; ‘nothing’ doesn’t make you feel sick.” She glanced away from him

She sighed. If she didn’t tell him now, he’d figure it out on his own. And plus, if he really was interested in her like she had heard Howie say back at the coffee shop, he’d probably end up leaving her alone after she told him. Becca rolled over on her side and propped herself up on her left elbow. Brian stretched out and propped himself on his right side so they were facing each other. “Well, it’s just I’ve never really been with a guy.”

“If you’re worried about sex or something like that, you don’t have to. I’m not going to make you do anything.”

Becca shook her head. “It’s not just that Brian. I mean, I’ve never had a boyfriend.”

“Ever?”

“Ever.”

Brian sighed. “So this staying over here probably makes you a little uncomfortable.” Becca nodded. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

“I’d prefer not to,” Becca replied, sitting up. “I have a busy day tomorrow. I have class from eight to twelve. I meet David then and we head over to the station to be there by one. I’m at the station until five and then David takes me back to campus so I can work from six until nine at the calling center.”

“So I’ll meet you at five or so and we can have dinner together?”

Becca smiled. “Okay. I’ll meet you in front of the Bookstore a little after five.”

Brian stood up. “Great. I’ll go get Paul to drive us to your place, okay?” Becca nodded in response. Brian stepped outside the door and left it open while he knocked on the door to the bodyguards. He could tell there was more to it than just Becca never having had a boyfriend, but he wasn’t about to ask about it. She’d tell him when she was ready.  
Becca glanced at the clock. It was about seven at night. She still had plenty of time to finish her homework and get to bed so she could hopefully get some sleep tonight.

Brian knocked on the door to the room of Paul and James. James answered. “Hey, Brian, what’s up?”

Brian looked up at the big black man. “Is Paul awake? I need him to take Becca home.”

“Has he told you how upset he is about this whole situation?”

“Huh?” Brian was shocked. Paul had always trusted his judgment.

“That’s all he’s been talking about. He thinks you’re being too trusting and too rash in your decision making.”

Brian rolled his eyes. “He always thinks that.”

“Yeah, and so does the rest of the group.” James placed his hands on the smaller man’s shoulders. “Face it, Brian, you have become more of a risk-taker than Alex lately.”

“It doesn’t mean anything.”

“I just hope it doesn’t get you into trouble. Have you told Becca to keep your secrets? Do you trust her to keep them?”

Sighing, Brian admitted, “I haven’t told her, but I do trust her.” How could he not after what had just happened and the unanswered questions. “When did you and Howie get back?”

“About an hour ago. He and Jen really hit off, on what, I’m not entirely sure. They mainly talked about how crazy you were.”

Brian closed his eyes and shook his head. “Is Paul available?” He didn’t want to hear any more about how crazy he was or how desperate Becca was.

“Yeah, let me go get him for you.” James stepped away from the door and closed it over to talk to Paul. Brian stepped over and leaned against the wall near the door frame. This was common behavior for the bodyguards: talk amongst themselves while leaving the Boys alone for brief periods of time. It was their way of testing them. Nick would run off. Alex would too. Usually, Howie, Kevin and himself would wait for their bodyguards. Paul appeared in the doorway. He was in the usual too-tight tee shirt and black jeans. It was like their uniform or something. Paul was also a huge black man but he shaved his head bald, whereas James kept his black hair cropped short near his head.

“Becca wants to go home,” Brian said nonchalantly.

“Okay, let’s go.” Paul was eager to get rid of the fan and be alone with Brian so they could have their “little talk.” He knew Brian knew it was coming. He had heard James filling Brian in briefly of Paul’s ill feelings about the trip.

Brian stepped over and pushed open the door to his room. He found Becca standing there with her backpack on ready to leave. He smiled and she smiled back. He reached out for her hand and she didn’t shy away from his touch. She gently interlaced her fingers with his as they walked, following Paul to the car.

Becca gave directions to her apartment and Paul had them there in about ten minutes. She climbed out of the car and Brian followed her up the stairs to the door. He pulled her into an embrace and refrained from attempting to kiss her. He knew it was too early. She stiffened at the show of affection and turned around to unlock her door. “I’ll see you tomorrow at five, okay?” Brian said. She nodded and opened her door. He turned around and started down the stairs. Becca watched him until he descended into the darkness. She then stepped inside the door and closed it behind her. She slowly sank down onto the floor, sobbing.


	3. Chapter 3

## Chapter Three

Becca managed to get a few hours of sleep before having to go to class. She and David had lunch on the way to the station on the other side of town. After being berated by Eric B that afternoon, David dropped Becca off in front of the construction ridden student union and Becca hiked around the side of the Bookstore. Underneath a light, she saw Brian and his bodyguard.

“Hi,” Becca said.

“Hey,” replied Brian.

“I figured we’d just go in and grab a sandwich inside and then head over to the administration building. We could have dinner there.”

Brian shrugged and followed her inside. They all purchased a different sandwich and a drink at the little convenience store and Becca led them down a walkway on campus. She stopped at a bench in front of the domed Kendall Hall. Brian sat down near her and they unwrapped their sandwiches together.

“So if I go in there, pick up the phone and dial your mom, will she really give me money?” Becca inquired between bites.

Brian shrugged. “If she’s given money in the past, I don’t see why not.”

Becca chewed thoughtfully, mulling over what she would say to Brian’s mom. She had had a plan previously, but now that she was actually talking to her son, it was totally different.

She had recently called Boomer Davis’s mom. She had been thrilled to give fifty dollars to the university that was training her son. Becca had had no idea that Boomer was still enrolled in school. His mom had said he was supposed to graduate that spring. Becca was shocked. She hadn’t seen Boomer in any of her classes. Well, all but one. Boomer’s mom had said that it had taken him five years go through school so he was only taking a couple of class this semester.

Becca was scared to talk to Brian’s mom. Brian tried to reassure her that everything would be fine, but Becca somehow didn’t believe him.

Brian left some time before everyone else started showing up. He said he was going to go find a quiet corner in the library and read. Becca didn’t think so. Paul had spotted Madison Bear Garden, or “The Bear” as everyone around campus called it. Becca figured they would end up there. She didn’t mind; as long as they were back at nine.

Three hours later, Becca walked out of the building and found Brian hiding in the shadows. “So did Mom give you money?”

Becca smiled. “Yeah, an even hundred.”

“Why not more?”

Laughing, Becca replied, “She said that if the school wanted more, to contact her famous son.”

Brian rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sometimes my mom makes the best jokes.”

Becca smiled at Brian. He reached an arm out and draped it over her shoulder, pulling her in close to him. “You haven’t told anyone, have you?” he whispered in her ear.

“No.”

“Good. You know more about me than most fans. I wouldn’t want it to get around that I’m here and where I’m staying and all that. It could be dangerous.” She nodded in agreement and allowed herself to be led to the car again.

The pair didn’t say much in the car. Instead, Becca leaned her head on Brian’s shoulder. She was extremely tired after the long day she had had with very little sleep. She was almost asleep before they reached her apartment a mile away.

Brian walked her upstairs and hugged her again. She was so tired, she just stood there. “So when do I get to see you again?” Brian asked softly.

“I have to work Friday night. We’re broadcasting live from the Brickworks. If you wanna show up here at six, we can go over together and I can get you in under the radar.” 

Becca shrugged. She wasn’t really sure if Brian would show up.

“What about tomorrow?”

“What about it?”

“Are you free?”

Becca was so tired, she couldn’t think of an excuse or a lie. Instead, she said, “Well, I don’t have to work or anything if that’s what you mean?”

“Great. Then let me take you out.” Brian seemed really excited.

“I don’t know Brian,” Becca hesitated. She wasn’t sure she was ready for this.

“Come on. I’ll convince Howie and Jen to come and it’ll just be a casual dinner.”

Becca raised an eyebrow. “So it’s not a date?”

“No. Why would it be?” Brian smiled and then leaned into Becca. “Besides, you know Jen. Do you think Howie would be able to convince her to go on a date?”

Becca thought for a minute. “Jen on a date? That’s like saying aliens are landing here tomorrow. He won’t be able to do it.”

“What if he said it was just dinner with you and me?”

Scoffing, Becca replied, “Probably not, but it’s worth a laugh.”

 

Brian’s cell phone rang around five the next evening. He was surprised it was Becca. He had been in town for about three days now and she had yet to call him. “Hello?” he answered, trying not to sound too excited.

“Hi,” Becca replied.

“Hey, what’s up?” Brian lay back on the bed in his hotel room.

“So, did you manage to get Jen for tonight?”

Brian shrugged to himself. “I don’t know. Are you having second thoughts?”

“Are you sure this isn’t a date?” Becca twirled a strand of hair around a finger.

“It’s not a date. I’m just buying you dinner.”

“How is that not a date?”

Rolling over on his stomach, Brian thought about it for a minute. What did make it different from a date? He did kind of like her. So wouldn’t that make it a date? He was going to pay for dinner and pick her up. What made this different? It was probably because he was just trying to convince her to go. That and the bodyguards were going to be there too. It was like a whole gathering of friends.

“Well, it’ll be you and me, the two bodyguards, Howie and if he got Jen to come.” He hesitated. Was that going to make a difference? “Besides, if I was going to take you out on a date, I would make sure that it was just us.” Oh yeah, that was sure to convince her. What was he thinking? His brain was already calling this a date. Though, if they actually _did_ get together at some point, he’d make sure he never said that their first date took place only three days after they met. He was starting to get nervous. What if she said no?

Becca sighed. “Alright, as long as you’re sure it’s not a date.”

“I’m sure,” Brian replied, his heart starting to flutter.

“Okay. What time will you be here? Because I don’t have a car.”

Oh God, she was asking him to pick her up. How could this _not_ be a date now? “Uh, six-thirty okay?” he managed to squeak out.

“Okay, I’ll be ready.” She paused momentarily before asking, “Where are we going, by the way?”

Brian stood up and walked over to the window. He could see across the street to the restaurants nearby. “Olive Garden,” he said softly. Oh yeah, it was definitely a date now. Low light, Paul would make sure they were somewhere secluded, wine, pasta. Definitely a date.

“Okay,” Becca replied and Brian heaved a sigh of relief.

An hour and a half later, Brian was standing on Becca’s apartment doorstep with a single white rose in hand. Why he bought the flower, he wasn’t sure, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Now that he was standing there, he was nervous. The flower was a bad idea. Now she was going to think it was a date. Brian mentally beat himself up about it as he reached up and knocked on the door. He quickly moved the rose behind his back with the eventual intent to toss it off the balcony. The door creaked open and Brian caught his breath. Becca was standing there in a light blue dress that swirled around her knees. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Before anything else passed through his mind, Brian brought the rose out from behind his back. Becca smiled at him. “I thought this wasn’t a date,” she said.

“Then why are you dressed up?”

“Because I’m not on the radio. I don’t know. I figured I should. I mean, you probably wouldn’t want me to go in jeans, right?” Becca was rushing her words, which was strange for an aspiring radio DJ. She was nervous and talking fast was a really bad habit she needed to break, especially for when she finally got her own radio show. Becca looked at Brian. Yeah, he was kind of dressed up too: khaki slacks and a navy blue collared shirt. But then again, he looked like he was going to meet with his manager or something, maybe go on an interview.

“Oh,” was Brian’s only reply.

Becca took the rose timidly and reached behind her to lock the door. She put her keys in the small purse she had over her shoulder and followed Brian downstairs to the parking lot. He held open the door to the Accord and allowed Becca in first. He then got in on the other side. Brian was driving, and this surprised Becca. “Where’s Howie? More importantly, where’s your bodyguard?” Becca asked.

“Oh, well, we’re staying across the street from the Olive Garden, so Howie, Paul, and James will meet us there.”

Becca nodded. They drove in silence for a while and then started talking about random things. About the last tour, their latest video and what was next up for the Backstreet Boys. Brian had a feeling that she was digging for information for her radio career, but she had promised not to let on that she knew him. He figured she wouldn’t reveal her sources.

The pair arrived at the Olive Garden restaurant. Paul was standing outside, looking menacing. While Brian and Becca waited outside, Paul went inside to talk to the hostess. Brian filled her in on what was probably going on. Paul was making a big deal out of nothing really. He wanted the group to have a table in the back, someplace secluded so that they wouldn’t be disturbed. Paul came back a little while later and led them inside. They were ushered immediately to the back of the restaurant. Paul informed the hostess that there was going to be a few more members of their party and she nodded, leaving them alone. The group was sitting at a rectangular table. Paul sat at the head of the table while Becca and Brian sat across from each other. A short while later, Howie and James appeared with no sign of Jen. Becca leaned across the table, “He mentioned the D-word,” she whispered.

Howie sat down next to Brian and James took the end of the table opposite Paul.

“You told her it was a date, didn’t you, Howie?” Becca asked.

Howie shrugged. “I guess it kind of slipped.”

Becca looked at Brian. “So how is this _not_ a date?” she inquired.

“If it was a date, Howie wouldn’t be here,” he replied casually.

“He just wants you to think that,” Howie replied. Brian elbowed him in the stomach. Howie closed his mouth before he continued to dig himself a deeper hole.

The waiter came around and took their orders. The group discussed the local scene and Becca convinced both of them to come with her the following night to the Brickworks for a little dancing and people watching. She promised them that no one would know they were there; now she just had to convince Boomer to keep his big mouth shut. Boomer was sometimes more annoying than Eric.

“Eh,” Becca said, stealing a piece of lettuce out of the huge salad bowl on the table. “Eric thinks he’s God gift to radio and that all us interns are after his job. I swear he treats us like dirt so that we think the radio life is horrible.”

“Like, what kind of things does he do?” Brian questioned.

“Oh, make us do all his dirty work,” Becca replied. “Answer phones for contests. Go out on remotes for no apparent reason. Today, he made me go down and get him his coffee like I’m some first-semester intern or something. To tell you the truth, I think he’s jealous of me.”

Both Backstreet Boys shook their heads. “Why would he be jealous of you? You’re an intern. You don’t make anything, do you?” commented Howie.

Becca nodded. “I don’t make anything, but I’m now just as known as Boomer and Eric. People are always coming up to me when I’m out on remote asking me about things and wanting to talk to me. It’s all name recognition, I know it.”

Brian grinned at her. “Well, with a name like Backstreet Becca, how can you go wrong?”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Howie looked at Becca, the only woman at the table. Taking a bite of salad, he asked, “So how did you get that name?”

Becca shrugged. “I really don’t remember.” She knew; she was just too embarrassed to tell them. It was already embarrassing that the two of them had come up to her while she was broadcasting.

“Oh, come on. You have to know…” Brian prompted.

Sighing, Becca replied, “Okay. I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to laugh.”

The two celebrities nodded.

Becca took a breath and then said, “I was stupid and when I went to my first intern meeting at the radio station, I wore one of my ‘Millennium’ concert tee shirts. Well, one of the other interns noticed it and asked if I was a fan. I had kind of shrugged it off, but then a couple of them ganged up on me and started asking me all the questions like, ‘Who’s your favorite?’ and ‘Do you have all their albums?’ and ‘How many concerts have you been to?’ Well, they were just coming so rapid-fire, that I started answering them. Well, that got me into trouble right there because as I was answering these questions, I didn’t notice the DJs come in. When the other interns paused and I took a breath, Eric said, ‘Wow. We should call you Backstreet Super Fan or something.’ Well, when I told him my name was Becca, he replied, ‘Then it’s settled. Go by Backstreet Becca.’ It wasn’t really my choice at that moment, but I liked it, so I kept it. It was just so embarrassing to have all my colleagues know that I was a huge fan of you guys.” Becca pushed the salad around on her plate. “They still bug me about it from time to time.”

“But you said you were well known now, right?” Brian replied to her story.

“Yeah,” Becca replied, just as the waiter set their food down in front of them. “That happened by accident or design, I’m not sure which.”

“What do you mean?”

Becca grabbed a fork and swirled her fettuccini alfredo around in her plate for a minute. “There’s usually one intern at a station that the push heavily. It usually takes them a while to decide that. Well, for my group it was decided within the first week. It was going to be me. I have a knack for remembering things and they liked that. They thought it would be good out on remotes. Not to mention I liked to talk and the station manager said I had a good voice for radio. So they’ve been pushing me out and about more. And people have noticed. Colors is the most popular station in the area, besides the adult contemporary stations.”

The dinner continued on for a while in silence while everyone ate. Then Howie caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of his eye. He signaled for the waitress to come over because he wanted a refill. Well, that waitress turned out to be Jen.

“Jen,” Howie choked. “What are you doing here?”

Jen shook her head at Howie’s question. “I work here. I told you, I had to work tonight.”

Then both Howie and Brian turned to stare at Becca. “What?” she asked.

“You didn’t tell me she worked here,” Brian told her.

“I didn’t figure it was important. Plus I didn’t think you were working tonight,” Becca told Jen.

Jen shrugged. “I got called in. Sherry called in sick.”

Becca smiled at her friend. “Well, that’s good. More money for you.”

“Yeah, except I’m missing out on some serious study time.”

“Oh, you’ll live,” Becca replied.

Jen rolled her eyes, said goodbye to her friend and the men there and headed off to another table.

Brian leaned across the table towards Becca. “You could have at least told me she worked here,” he whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

## Chapter Four

The following evening, Becca went down to the radio station around seven to check in with Boomer and let him know what was going on that night. Brian and Howie had agreed to come down with her but said they had to leave on Saturday to make it to the meeting they were desperately needed at. Becca knew it had to do with the group and recording, but she didn’t pressure where they were headed. They recorded all over the world. Boomer said it was fine if she brought some friends along, he didn’t mind, though Becca was smart enough not to tell him who these “friends” were.

At seven-fifteen, Boomer and Becca headed over to the Brickworks in downtown Chico. They took one of the vans over there, even though they both knew they only needed a fraction of the equipment. Once at the dance club, Boomer went upstairs to where the DJ booth was and where they actually served alcohol. Becca had to wear a lanyard with her station ID on it so they would let her up. She thought it was dumb. It wasn’t some concert, but they were just looking out for under twenty-one crowd. And being Becca was only twenty, she always had to stop and show the guard there her pass.

Becca was down by the front door standing next to the bouncer. There was a line already forming, but Becca knew that they wouldn’t even notice the four guys coming in with her. They did, however, notice the Colors jersey she was wearing. It said “Colors Staff” on the front left and had the station logo on the back. Becca wore it only as a backup in case she forgot her identification for the station. The guys in the front of the line started yelling at her. They were saying things like, “Hey Babe, can you get me free concert tickets?” and “Hey Sweet Thing, hook me up!” Becca just ignored them. They were usually this way if she was down on the floor with them. She always got hit on when she worked the Brickworks on Friday and Saturday night. Boomer thought it was hilarious. The two of them were compiling a list of all the pick-up lines Becca had gotten over the past year. Some of them were pretty dumb. Others were pretty crass and rude. For some reason, the guys there all thought she would be good in bed. Becca just shook her head at those guys and walked away. She would never let them find out with lines like that.

About five minutes of standing down there brought about thirty requests to “Put me on the radio!” Thankfully, it was just then that Paul came wandering up casually.

“Hey, are we clear to go in?” He asked Becca looking over at the rowdy crowd.

Becca shrugged, “It should be okay. Mike here,” she put her hand on the big black guy at the door, “has ‘em under control.” Becca actually looked over at Mike and then back at Paul. Yeah, she could tell the difference – she had seen Mike twice a week for the past year – but the similarities were striking. That tight shirt thing must have been bodyguard/bouncer uniform or something. The only difference in the two was that Paul had actually thrown a button-down Hawaiian shirt over his to attempt to blend in.

Behind her back in her left hand, Becca held onto four lanyards with plastic passes on them. They were specially printed for artists and guests of the radio to come down to the Brickworks. Colors had done concerts there before so they printed extras for themselves in case they had friends coming to sit in the booth with them. It became especially important if any of those friends were under twenty-one. This way, security could keep a tight watch on them and not serve them alcohol.

The building wasn’t that big: two floors plus an outdoor area for the smokers. There was a dance floor in the center of the room with tables all around. The DJ booth was upstairs and the area above the dance floor was all open, with upstairs having seats overlooking it.

Paul nodded and turned around. He walked across the street and got the two guys plus James out of the car. Paul was in the lead with James in the rear. The two celebrities walked in a single-file line across the street. It was as though they had done this a million times, and they probably had with a ton more people.

Mike, the bouncer, looked at Becca. “They’re with me, Mike,” Becca told him. He let the four of them in and right there in the foyer, Becca handed out the lanyards. This way Steve, the money taking bouncer wouldn’t charge them or say anything. The men shrugged as if this was commonplace and slid the passes on. They then walked right past Steve, with the big white guy nodding at them.

Becca let them look around the room for a while before leading them over to the stairs. The bodyguards were on edge, Becca could tell. They were surveying the whole area and checking out all the people that were inside, which at the present weren’t that many. Mike didn’t start letting people in until eight. There were maybe twenty people working that night, but the bodyguards were still watching all of them. At the top of the stairs, Becca turned left towards the DJ booth and the group followed her. Boomer had his headphones on checking the feed to the station. They would be broadcasting live, but they wouldn’t be simulcasting until ten that night. First, there was general boring radio play, then at nine, there was the top nine at nine. Boomer loved that, especially if he had Becca working with him. She always had some tidbit about the artists on the countdown.

Becca managed to scrounge up stools for the group and then went to stand by the radio DJ. She slid a pair of headphones around her neck and waited. When Boomer didn’t turn to look at her, she finally tapped him on the shoulder. Boomer looked to his left. He had short light brown hair and rimless glasses. He slid the headphones off his ears and down to his neck. “Hey girl, what’s up?”

Becca smiled up at him. He was about five-ten and Becca liked it better when they were in the studio because they were usually sitting. “Okay, before you turn around, you have to promise me you won’t tell a soul, got it?”

Boomer shook his head slightly, “Yeah, sure, whatever you say.” Boomer turned around and grinned. Nodding he leaned over to Becca. “I see your point.” He then reached out his right hand to the two celebrities. “Brian, Howie, nice to meet you,” he said casually. He had better know his celebrities. He was an on-air personality. Brian and Howie shook his hand and nodded back.

“Boomer, the other two don’t say much. Bodyguards. Don’t tick ‘em off, if you get my drift,” Becca told him and Boomer laughed.

“They sound like Mike and Steve,” Boomer replied. His normal speaking voice was about an octave higher than his radio voice. It had shocked Becca the first time the two had spoken off the radio. Now she was used to the vocal change. Boomer looked over at Becca. “You ready to do this?”

“Sure, I don’t say much for the first hour, unless you bug me? Are you going to bug me?” Becca placed her hands on her headphones and looked over at the man next to her.

“Probably not till nine, but don’t go too far.”

Becca smiled, “I wasn’t planning on it.” She leaned in close to him and before he put his headphones on said, “You blab it on the air and you face the consequences.”

“You’re so paranoid,” Boomer said and slipped on his headphones and into his radio voice.

Becca listened to his opening bit and then tuned out. Boomer was faithful to his word, unlike Eric. Eric was a pain. He would say one thing and then do another. If he said he wasn’t going to put you on the air, it typically meant, stay put and don’t move because you’ll be on the air in sixty seconds. It was so annoying in that regard. All the interns didn’t like that fact. There were only a couple that could actually put up with his “Holier than Thou” attitude. The few that could put up with him were usually scheduled with him, except Becca. She could work with Boomer every night, but Eric was always ready to take on an intern. Boomer was a little bit more hesitant, being he was still in school and he had all the interns’ dream job. But he liked Becca. She wasn’t jealous of him or anything and she was a wealth of knowledge. They worked well together. That’s why he brought her on the remotes to the Brickworks. She worked best on her feet, live, in front of people.

Becca slid her headphones off right before Boomer threw to the next song and turned to her guests. “Do you want anything?” she asked. “Water” was the resounding reply. She then punched Boomer in the arm. “Water?” she asked. He nodded, massaging his arm as if she had hurt him. She walked over to the closest bar and said to the bartender, “Six waters, please.” The man nodded and started pulling out the bottled waters he reserved for the radio staff. As Becca was standing there, waiting for him to get them out, a man slid up next to Becca. She didn’t look at him.

“What’s a hot thing like you doing in a place like this?” he asked.

“Working,” Becca replied, immediately thinking better of her answer. She then looked up at the man beside her. It was Brian. “Bad line, Brian” she replied, grinning.

“Bad answer,” he said. “I figured you would need some help unless you have arms we don’t know about.”

Becca shook her head. “No, I don’t. The radio station gives off very little in the ways of radiation. Thanks.” Brian took three of the bottles and Becca took the other three. The pair headed back to the booth.

Brian passed around the water and took one of the bottles from Becca. Boomer gladly took his bottle and looked at Becca. “You just got hit on, didn’t you?”

“What are you? Psychic?” she asked.

“No, you always get that look. What was it this time?”

Becca glanced over her shoulder to Brian before saying, “Too stupid to put on the list. Not to mention, I think we may already have it.”

“It was her answer that was good!” Brian added.

Boomer leaned down close to Becca. “What’d you answer?”

Becca looked off to her left for a moment and shook at the thought of what she had said. “Working,” she finally replied. Boomer tried to suppress a laugh, but it didn’t work too well. “I know, I know. It was a bad answer.”

The rest of the night was par for the course, even with the two celebrities hidden in their midst. Brian and Howie had a good time wandering around upstairs and watching the guys below grind with the girls. Becca got hit on a bunch more times all with lines she had heard before, save for one, “Are you accepting applications for your fan club?” She had told Boomer that one and he made sure to write down. They both thought that one was pretty good, especially since Backstreet Becca was as well known in the Brickworks as Boomer was. Not to mention their present company.

Becca was way past ready to leave at midnight. Boomer said he would clean up and get the van back to the studio and let Becca head out. Becca was grateful. She was about ready to fall asleep with her headphones on. That wouldn’t have been the first time she did it either. Boomer caught her a few weeks prior with her chin in her hands asleep with her headphones on. He was amazed she could sleep in the Brickworks. He had teased her relentlessly for the next week.

Brian, Howie, the bodyguards, and Becca trudged down the stairs and out to the parking lot across the street from the club. Boomer had promised to clock Becca out so she was free to leave. “Thank God I don’t have to work tomorrow morning,” Becca commented, groggily leaning against one of the parking meters. She yawned as Paul unlocked the car. Becca climbed into the middle of the backseat with Howie to left and Brian to her right. “What time do you guys leave tomorrow?” she asked.

“Our flight out is at noon to LAX,” Howie replied. Becca nodded and yawned again. She leaned over on Brian’s shoulder and was asleep before she could give directions to Paul about how to get to her apartment.

“Let’s just go back to the hotel,” Brian said softly, stroking Becca’s hair as she slept. “She can sleep there.”

Once at the hotel, Paul picked Becca’s sleeping form up and carried her inside. “She must be tired,” Howie whispered on the elevator. Becca’s head was lying on Paul’s shoulder. He had one arm underneath her knees, the other supporting her upper back. When they reached the floor, Brian was the one to unlock the door and let them into his room. Paul carefully laid Becca down on the bed and left without saying a word. Brian quickly changed into boxers and a tee shirt. He climbed up next to Becca and wrapped an arm around her. It felt so good to be snuggling up next to someone again, even if that person was completely asleep and nothing more than a friend.

Becca awoke somewhere around four. She didn’t know where she was. She tried to look around in the dark room, but couldn’t make anything out yet. She started to panic. The last thing she remembered was leaving the club. Nothing could have happened, could it? Boomer wouldn’t do anything, that was for sure. And plus he had stayed at the club cleaning up. And Brian wouldn’t do anything, would he? She wasn’t sure. He was a celebrity. He had money, fame, power all the things that came with it. Okay, now her brain was starting to give her irrational fears. Why would Brian do anything to her?

Her eyes were finally starting to adjust to the darkness. She could make out the things in the room. There was a dresser, a table, a couple of chairs. It was a hotel room. She was in a king sized bed, fully clothed. Beside her was Brian. He was curled up under a blanket. She looked over at him. He was sound asleep. She looked down at herself. All her clothes were as she had remembered them, albeit a little bit more wrinkled and rumpled. She was starting to calm herself down. Yeah, Brian wouldn’t do anything to her. But her heart was still racing. What about the guys at the club? Was there any way any of them could have slipped something into her water, knocked her out and had their way with her while Brian was out of the room? Now she was being ridiculous. She tried to push those thoughts out of her mind, but they were becoming overwhelming and overpowering. She tried to take deep breaths and calm herself without waking Brian up. She turned around on the bed and put her feet on the floor.

Just this movement woke Brian up. “What’s wrong Becca?” Brian asked groggily.

“Nothing,” she replied.

Brian sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Four-ten in the morning. “Then come back to bed.”

“I can’t,” Becca whispered.

Brian rolled over and put his own feet on the floor. Slowly he walked around the bed. He sat down next to the now wide-awake Becca. “Why can’t you sleep?”

“I don’t know,” she replied.

Brian placed an arm around Becca’s shoulder and pulled her in close to him. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “Did it scare you when you woke up next to me?”

Becca blushed. “Kind of. I didn’t know where I was at first.”

“Happens to me all the time,” he admitted, “but mainly because we’ve been on the road. I don't remember where we are for a bit. It’s okay. Nothing happened. You just fell asleep in the car.”

Becca nodded. “Thanks, Brian,” she spoke.

“Any time,” he said. “Now, there’s still a few hours of darkness left, let’s get some sleep, okay?”

Becca nodded and slipped her shoes off before lying back down on the bed. Brian climbed up next to her. “Is it okay if I cuddle you?” he asked in her ear. She nodded again, and Brian pulled her in close to him. The pair fell asleep a short while later.

 

In the daylight, the two awoke to loud knocking on the door. Brian stumbled to the door in a sleepy haze. “Huh?” he answered as he flung the door open.

“She gave me her number!” Howie said excitedly.

Brian stared at him through sleep-filled eyes. “Huh?”

“The other night, on the check, Jen gave me her number.”

Becca yawned and stumbled up beside Brian. “How do you know it was hers?” she asked groggily.

“Whoa, Bri, I’m sorry,” Howie instantly replied to Becca’s presence.

Brian shook his head and in a gravelly voice said, “Don’t be. Nothing happened.”

Howie looked at Brian quizzically. Brian usually told the truth, but he usually didn’t have a girl in his room either. Howie took Brian at his word and let the idea drop. “I don’t, but I’ll try it.”

“And what if it’s the wrong number?” Becca asked, leaning around Brian.

Howie shrugged. “Then I come to you.”

“I ain’t giving it to you.”

Brian slouched and started pouting. He was the tallest one there and these two were having a conversation around him because they couldn’t do it over him.

Howie ignored Brian’s pouting and said, “But she gave me permission to ‘call her’ which means if she gave me the wrong number then I can get it from you.”

Becca nodded slowly. “You’re smooth, Howie.”

Howie grinned. “Anyway, James wanted me to come and wake you up because it’s almost time to leave.”

Brian squinted his eyes closed. “But we don’t leave until noon or something.”

“One forty-five,” Howie replied. “And we have to leave here around ten. It’s eight-thirty.”

Brian groaned. “Wake me up at nine-thirty, D. I’m already packed. I’m going back to bed.” Brian grabbed Becca around the waist and pulled her back into the room, closing the door on Howie. “Let’s go get another hour of sleep.”

Becca nodded and the two crawled back into bed. Except they didn’t sleep. They stared at each other for a moment, before Brian ventured to ask a question. “Why were you up at four?”

Becca shrugged. “I’m not sure. Probably just have a lot on my mind.”

Brian smiled at her as she yawned. “I would bet,” he said. “Don’t you have finals coming up or something?”

Becca smiled. “Yeah. And work. And graduation. I don’t sleep so much as crash on the weekends.”

Brian grinned at her. “Sounds about like what we do.” He sighed. “I’m glad I came out here.” Becca tipped her head. “I know you probably weren’t expecting it, but I just felt like I had to meet you in person.”

Resting her head on her arms, Becca sighed. “Well, it was definitely unexpected.”

Brian shrugged with one shoulder and told her, “It’s the new me, I guess.”

“I didn’t think you guys got a break,” she stated.

“It was my only week off for a while.” Becca started to say something but Brian cut her off. “I’m glad I came out here.” He ran a hand down her cheek. “I never would have dreamed I would meet an aspiring DJ based off a telemarketing call. To be honest, I usually hang up on you guys.”

Becca nodded. “Most people do. I do.” Brian stared at her. “I actually have a new tactic though when I get one.”

“What’s that?”

“I tell them they are on the air at the radio station.”

Laughing, Brian responded, “That’s a good one.”

The pair laid there staring at each other for a good while until there was another knock at the door. Brian once again got up to answer it. Flinging it open, he said, “What?”

It was Paul this time. “Time to go Brian.”

“Huh?”

“Nine-thirty. We need to get going if we are going to drop Becca off on the way.”

Brian yawned and wiped the sleep from his eyes. “Okay,” he said roughly. Brian closed the door over and reached into his duffle bag. He grabbed out a pair of jogging pants and a tee shirt. He stepped into the bathroom, changed clothes and splashed his face with water before stepping back out. He didn’t care about his hair or teeth at this point. He was just going to spend the next ten to twelve hours on a plane. He just wanted to get going. He hated flying. He had calculated all the times. There was a total of ten hours worth of actual flying, plus two-time zone changes to get them to Eastern Time. But then the killer was that they had an hour and a half layover in LA, a three-hour layover in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a four and a half hour layover in Atlanta, Georgia. It was taking him a total of nineteen hours to get to the Bahamas. It would have only taken him four hours if he left from Orlando, with something like an hour layover in Atlanta. He knew Howie wasn’t going to let him live this down. They were leaving Chico at ten today and he wasn’t going to arrive in the Bahamas until almost noon tomorrow. Brian groaned at the thought of it.

He stepped out of the bathroom and threw his clothes in his bag. Becca was sitting on the bed watching him. “You still hate flying?” she asked. He groaned and rolled his eyes at her. “I’ll take that as a yes,” she commented. “Hey, don’t worry about it.” She grinned at him and then walked over and hugged him.

Brian was so in shock at her hugging him at first that he didn’t move, then slowly, he wrapped his arms around her. “You’ll call me, right?” he whispered in her ear.

“Of course,” she replied, her head on his chest.

There was another knock on the door and before either of the two could move, the door opened. Brian knew instantly who it was. It had to be Paul. He was the only one with another key. “Time to go,” he said casually.

The pair pulled apart and looked at each other. They both knew there was something there, but they weren’t entirely sure what it was. Brian pulled Becca by the hand and grabbed his duffel bag. He slung the stuffed bag over his shoulder as Becca walked beside him. Brian checked the bathroom and around the bed for anything he left in the room. There was nothing, so he handed his card key over to Paul, who promptly turned it over to James. The group headed down the hallway to the elevator with James leading Becca, Brian and Howie and Paul taking up the rear. On the ground floor, James turned in the keys and made sure they were checked out. The two bodyguards then led the group to the rented Honda Accord. Becca was driven home and when Brian walked her upstairs to her door, he grabbed her and hugged her again. “I don’t know when I’ll see you again,” he said softly.

Becca shrugged a response. “I don’t know. But I’ll call you.”

Brian shrugged back. “I guess it’s better than nothing, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Brian then leaned over and kissed Becca on her cheek. “I guess I’ll see you around, huh?”

Becca blushed and smiled at him. “Yeah, I guess,” was her reply.

“All right then,” Brian said and turned to leave. He knew Howie and the bodyguards were waiting on him and as much as he didn’t want to leave, he had to. The rest of the group was counting on him.

Becca watched him down the stairs and then closed the door. She smiled as she leaned her back against the door. She really wanted to go jumping through the apartment but thought better of it. It was only nine forty-five in the morning. She wasn’t scheduled to work until two that afternoon, so she sat down with one of her textbooks and started highlighting everything she thought she needed to remember. Later that night, while she was broadcasting live with Boomer from the Brickworks, she casually told him about what had happened. Boomer was always good for a conversation about relationships. He had a girlfriend and he was always talking about her. Boomer was happy for her, for whatever the peck on the cheek meant, but he warned her.

“He’s a celebrity,” he told her while they weren’t on the air, “more so than you or I. If you were to get involved with him, you more than likely would be subjected to that lifestyle.”

Becca shook her head. “What do you mean?”

Boomer smiled at her. “Paparazzi, never having any privacy, people hating you for taking an eligible bachelor off the market. I mean, come on Becca, how many people are in love with that group?”

Becca thought for a moment. “Millions.”

“Do you want that kind of backlash?”

“No,” Becca replied. “But more than likely, nothing will happen. I mean, he’ll probably have to change his number or something. And I probably won’t see him again until they go out on tour again. And by that point, he won’t even remember who I am.”

Boomer nodded in agreement as he slid his headphones back on his ears. “You’re probably right on that regard.”

Becca slid her headphones on and let the conversation end there. The DJ and his apprentice went to work and didn’t talk about it for the rest of the night.


	5. Chapter 5

## Chapter Five

Graduation was very boring for Becca. Her parents weren’t there, as she expected. The thing that made graduation bearable was that she ran into Boomer while the graduates were milling around in their colleges.

“Hey, Intern!” Boomer called to her. “What are you doing here?”

“Graduating. Same as you,” she replied.

Boomer shook his head, his tassel moving in front of his face. “There’s no way. I can’t even buy you drinks yet.”

Becca held up her hands. “Well, I’m here.”

“So, like what are you, a genius?” Boomer asked, reaching forward and indicating her medallions hung around her neck.

Shrugging, Becca said, “Eh. I don’t know. Never measured my IQ. Just have an eidetic memory.”

Boomer tipped his head and looked at her over his sunglasses, “A what?”

Becca smiled. “Photographic memory. I read it, I remember it.” Stepping closer to him, Becca said, “So you wanna sit next to each other? Make this thing more bearable?”

“Sure! But you’ll learn my real name.”

Laughing, Becca replied, “And you’ll learn about all these medals around my neck.”

The pair queued up with the rest of the graduates to walk into the stadium. “So are you coming out with me tonight?” Boomer asked, turning around to look down at the young woman behind him in line.

“Of course!” she exclaimed. “Tomorrow’s my last shift at the calling center and this is my last chance to work with you.”

Boomer stopped and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“I’m moving markets,” she said as the line started to move.

“You’ll go backward,” Boomer said as he turned around to follow the line to “Pomp and Circumstance.” 

Once the two DJs got to their seats and were standing there waiting for everyone else to march in behind them, Becca answered him, “Yeah, but better chance to get my own show.”

After the speeches, the reading of the names commenced. Being Boomer was in front of her, Becca heard his name clearly. When she handed the guy her card, he literally stared at it for a moment and then handed it over to the reader, who also stared at it. The reader took a huge breath and said, “Rebecca Carlson, magna cum laude, the recipient of President’s Award for Academic Excellence, Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence, Community Award for Academic and Social Achievement, Phi Kappa Phi Medallion, and National Broadcasting Society’s Award for Academic Achievement.” There seemed to be a collective intake of breath from the crowd at the list of achievements read. Becca just shrugged it off and walked down the ramp to the aisle and back to her seat. Yeah, now everyone knew she was a genius. Hopefully, things wouldn’t change that much.

As she reached her seat, she looked at Boomer. “Michael?” she asked.

He shrugged and said, “You never got a B?” She shook her head. “You could’ve been a doctor or something.”

“Don’t wanna be. I want your job, but in a bigger market.”

Boomer smiled at her. “Are you gonna keep up as Backstreet Becca?”

Now it was Becca’s turn to shrug. “Well, they’re the hot thing right now.”

“Speaking of, have you heard from him?”

Becca shook her head. “No. I told you he probably wouldn’t call me. I know he was headed somewhere when he left here.”

“Have you tried his number?”

“Not yet. But they probably made him change it or something.”

Boomer leaned over and said into Becca’s ear, “Promise me something.”

“What?”

“If you do end up dating him, you’ll give me the first interview.”

 

The following weekend, Becca had finally moved into her tiny studio apartment in Orlando, Florida. She hadn’t had much to move being she had pretty much left everything back in Chico. She’d had to stay a couple of days in a hotel before her apartment was ready, but didn’t mind because it allowed her to take care of a few things, like getting a new cell phone number and figuring out the bus system. It also allowed her the opportunity to buy a few things, like plates and a bed and sheets. The bed was delivered to her apartment on move-in day, while she took her few meager possessions with her on the bus to her new place.

That first Saturday night, Becca decided to actually call Brian. She hadn’t called him since he left three weeks prior. Yeah, she knew it was bad, but she also knew he was busy and didn’t want to disturb him. She hoped he wouldn’t be too mad with her.

She picked up the phone and dialed his now local cell phone number. She waited for three rings before he picked up.

“Hello?” he said. He sounded a little surprised that his cell phone was actually ringing.

“Howdy neighbor!” Becca replied.

“Huh?”

Becca smiled, “It’s me, Becca. How are you, Brian?”

“Oh, hi, Becca.” Now he sounded really surprised. Becca listened as he said to someone else in the room, “See, I told you she would call.”

The other person in the room, apparently Alex, replied, “Only three weeks after you left!”

“Sorry it’s been so long,” Becca told him. “I’ve been really busy with finals and moving and all that.”

“I figured,” Brian replied. He didn’t actually figure that out. He had been hounded by the guys for three weeks. They kept telling him she blew him off and that it was a wasted trip. He went out there for a girl and got Howie a girl instead. And then, of course, they rubbed in the fact that he had a nineteen-hour plane trip, with layovers, to get to the Bahamas. He had just joined them in thinking that they were right and now Becca had called him. “So what did you mean by ‘neighbor’?”

“Oh, I just moved out to Orlando.”

Brian was now even more shocked then finding out that Becca had called him, though he wasn’t quite sure how that was possible. But not only had she called him, but she also was living in the very same town he was. He said a silent prayer thanking God for his good fortune. Brian tried to compose himself before responding, but he obviously didn’t do a very good job of it. “Why did you move out here?” he asked, his voice cracking with excitement.

“I want a bigger market than I was in.”

“But couldn’t you have started your career there one step higher on the ladder then you could here?”

Becca had to think about what he was saying for a minute. It sounded strange to her. “Well, actually, I probably would have started off on the air back in Chico, but Colors didn’t have any on-air positions available. But I don’t mind starting from the bottom again. Modulating is fun.”

Brian almost asked what “modulating” was but then he remembered. It was a radio station term for street teams. They were the ones out talking to people, handing out stuff and basically trying to get people to listen to the station. “And then you’d move up to remotes?”

“Yeah,” Becca replied. “Eventually I’d get my own show, probably a late-night one, twice a week or something. They’d see if anyone was listening and then maybe I’d get something during normal daylight hours.”

“Wow, you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you.”

Becca smiled. “Yeah. I have to get my resume together and actually get into a radio station. I’m looking at XL 106.7 or Mix 105.1. I’m not sure which. I know that XL 106.7 is in Tavares.”

“That’s about an hour away,” Brian said.

“I figured it was out of the area, but as a modulator, they’d be wanting me to get out into their coverage area.”

“But what about a show?” Brian asked.

“Yeah, that’s the problem.”

“That’s why I’m leaning more towards Mix 105.1.” Becca sighed. “I really don’t know yet.” Becca sighed a second time. “Well, I’d better let you go. I’ve got some unpacking to do. Here, let me give you my number here.”

Brian quickly jumped off the couch and ran for the kitchen. He found a pen and a scrap of paper. He started to write the number down, but the pen died. He threw it across the bar into the living room.

“Hey, what is this? Attack of the flying pens?” Alex asked from the sofa.

“If they don’t work, throw them away,” Brian replied.

“That doesn’t mean throw them at me.”

Brian laughed and fished for another pen on the counter. He found one and scrawled the number down adding Becca’s name above it. He grabbed a magnet and stuck the paper to the refrigerator. “Okay, got it.” He repeated the number back and then said he’d call her in a day or so to check-in. He hung up the phone and headed back out into the living room. He plopped down on the couch and sighed, his left hand resting above his head.

“Somebody’s smitten,” Alex said, turning away from the television.

“No, I’m not.”

Alex snorted. “Yeah, you are. You’ve waited three weeks for her to call, practically with your cell phone in your hand the entire time. You’d check it every spare moment we had in the Bahamas and on top of that, you wouldn’t answer it unless it was important.”

“Yeah, so…” Brian replied.

“You are so smitten with her.”

Brian shook his head and slowly climbed off the couch. He headed down the hallway to his room. “You just wait, Littrell. She’s going to turn you down when you ask her out!” Alex called down the hall.

Brian stopped and turned around. “What do you mean?”

“She’s going to turn you down. You are going to ask her out, right?” Alex asked, getting up off the couch.

“Yeah,” Brian replied, turning around. His intentions were obvious, he figured.

“And she’s going to turn you down.”

“How do you know that? Did you pick up psychic abilities in the Bahamas?”

Alex tilted his head. “No. She’s a fan, right?”

“Yeah.” The whole group knew that.

“She’ll follow a song.”

“No, she won’t.”

Alex shrugged. “Okay, believe what you want, but she’ll follow a song. She’s a fan. They all do. Five bucks she turns you down.”

“You’re on.” Brian reached out his hand to Alex and he took it, shaking it once.

“When do you plan on asking her?”

Now it was Brian’s turn to shrug. “I don’t know really. I figured I’d give her a couple of days to get settled.”

 

Three days later, Brian was lying on the couch with Alex sitting in a recliner. Brian had the phone in his hand and was contemplating dialing Becca’s number.

“What if she’s not there?” he asked to no one in particular.

“Then you leave a message,” Alex replied coolly.

“What if there’s no machine?”

Alex rolled his eyes. “You call back later.”

“What if she says no?”

Alex smiled. “Then you owe me five bucks.”

Brian lifted the phone so he could see it. Staring at the numbers, he posed another question, “What if…”

Before he could finish, Alex cut him off. “Quit ‘what if-ing’ yourself to death. Dial the number and find out already. You’re only making yourself more nervous than what you already are.”

Brian took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Alex was correct. He was making himself more nervous. He turned the cordless phone on and started dialing the digits Becca had given him. The phone rang once, twice, three times before Becca answered and asked, “Hello?”

Brian’s heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. Why was he so nervous about this? Was Alex right? Would she really turn him down to follow one of their songs? Was he really smitten with her? “Hi, Becca,” he managed to choke out.

“Oh, hi, Brian,” Becca replied with a smile.

“How are things going over there?” Brian attempted to make small talk.

“Not bad. Just figuring out the bus system.” Becca laughed slightly.

“Well, that’s good.” Brian took a breath. It was now or never. “So are you doing anything tomorrow night?”

“Why?” came Becca’s response.

“I thought I could show you around town.” Brian caught Alex’s glance and he was nodding.

“Oh, I can’t Brian,” Becca replied. “I’ve, uh, gotta finish unpacking.”

Brian’s face fell. “Oh, okay.”

Alex mouthed at him, “See, I told you.”

“Well, maybe some other time then,” Brian said.

“Yeah, some other time. Look, I’d better go. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye,” Brian said, and hung up.

Alex tried to contain his laughter, but only managed to suppress it for a moment. “So what’d excuse did she give you? Washing her hair?” he asked, in between chuckles.

Brian rolled his eyes at Alex. “Unpacking.”

“Uh-huh,” Alex said. “Sure, she’s just playing hard to get B.”

Brian sighed. “But how hard to get can she play?”

“Plenty hard,” Alex replied. “You haven’t had a girl play hard to get on you, have you?” Brian shook his head. Alex knew all this. “Leighanne wanted you as much as you did her until you found out she was a gold-digging bitch, but hey, when you’re in love, you see life through a window.”

Brian reached in his pocket and pulled out a five. “I guess I owe you this,” he said softly.

Alex shook his head. “Nah, double or nothing the next time you ask her.”

Brian shrugged, “Okay.” He knew the next time he asked her she would say yes. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind.

 

Brian waited a couple of days and then called over to the apartment. This time when he called, he made sure Alex wasn’t around. But when he asked Becca, there yet again was an excuse. Granted it wasn’t the typical “washing my hair” excuse, but it felt the same to Brian. He really liked Becca and he wanted to show her that, but she wasn’t giving him the chance.

Alex cornered him that night. “You’re moping.”

“Am not,” Brian replied.

“You asked her out again didn’t you?” Brian didn’t say anything. “She turned you down again, right?” Again, Brian didn’t respond. “What did I tell you? She’s following a song.”

"How can you be so sure?" Brian finally asked after a moment.

"She’s a fan, Brian. It’s their goal in life to snag one of us." Alex leaned back on the sofa. "Were you not paying attention on the last tour?" Brian gave him a blank stare in answer to his question. "Oh, that’s right. You had the bitch hovering over you every second of the tour." Alex laughed. "They’re called groupies, Brian. Their whole purpose in life is to sleep with celebrities."

Brian shook his head at his friend. "I know what groupies are," he replied.

"But do you know how many groupies I had on the last tour?"

Brian took the question as rhetorical and didn’t answer. He hoped Alex wouldn’t volunteer the answer either.

"Believe me, Brian. If you’re looking for a quick fix, a fan is the way to go. It’s part of their fantasy. But if you’re looking for a long term relationship, you’re wasting your time with a fan."

Brian just shook his head and headed off to his room. There had to be more to it than what Alex was saying. He was sure of it.


End file.
